May 25th, 2017 - The Mythology Of Hercules

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing the bad-assery that is Derek Sherinian's "Mythology" and an Hercules Double IPA from Great Divide Brewing !


Album Info:

• Artist: Derek Sherinian 
• Title: "Mythology"
• Recorded: 2004
• Release date: November 9th, 2004 (4th solo studio album by Derek Sherinian)
• Record company: InsideOut Music
• Production: Derek Sherinian 
• Album cover art: Mattias Noren
• Personnel: Derek Sherinian (keyboards) with Tony Franklin (bass guitar on tracks 1, 2, 5, and 8), Jerry Goodman (violin on tracks 1 and 6), Allan Holdsworth (guitar on tracks 1 and 6), Steve Lukather (guitar on track 5), Marco Mendoza (bass guitar on tracks 3, 4, 7 and 9), Simon Phillips (drums on tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9), Rufus Philpot (bass guitar on track 6), Mike Shapiro (percussion), Steve Stevens (guitar on tracks 2, 4, and 8), John Sykes (guitar on track 3), Brian Tichy (drums on tracks 1, 3, 7 and 9, and additional guitars on tacks 1, 3 and 7), and Zakk Wylde (guitar on tracks 1, 3 and 9), and vocals on track 9)
• Musical style: Instrumental hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock
• Sound: Drawing from his amazing keyboard talent and the talents of some of the most talented musicians in rock, metal, and jazz, Sherinian creates a huge rockin' wall of sound with "Mythology"!  
• Major themes: It is an instrumental album... your guess is as good as mine, but there seems to be an overall theme of myth, magic, and lore.
• Tracks:   

1. "Day Of The Dead"
2. "Alpha Burst"
3. "God Of War"
4. "Goin' To Church"
5. "El Flamingo Swave"
6. "Trojan Horse"
7. "One Way Of The Other"
8. "A View From The Sky"
9. "The River Song"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado)
• Website: http://greatdivide.com/
• Brew: Hercules Double IPA
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA)   
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.0%
• Pour: The Hercules pours a very murky bronze-amber with a 1+ finger, creamy, light tan head with good sustain and retention and lots of layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a wonderful blend of pungent and dank resinous hops along with sweet and caramely malts.  There are aromas of pine resin, cedar, grapefruit rind, orange peel, tangerine, bready malt, bitter herbs, and caramel.
• Taste: Characterized by a huge hop profile and a nutty and malty backbone, the taste of the Hercules Double IPA is bold, dank, aggressive, and full-bodied.  There are notes of sweet bready malt, walnut, pine sap, grapefruit, tangerine, black tea, and burnt toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick, sticky, oily, and sharp with a nice, bitter bite to the dry finish.

Overall pairing: The big, bold, in-your-face flavors and aromas of the mighty Hercules Double IPA from Great Divide Brewing Company seems to have brewed with an album like Derek Sherinian's "Mythology" in mind!  Those biting, punchy hope notes are perfect for the monstrous guitar work of masters Holdsworth, Lukather, Stevens, Sykes, and Wylde!  And those fruity and sweet flavors fit right in with Sherinian's keyboard acrobatics!

Cheers!!!  Hails!!!